Just Friends, Right?
by ManusMachina
Summary: We're just friends...right? Mild Lancaster.


The brisk air felt surprisingly welcoming to Jaune as he opened the door to the roof of the dorms. He adjusted his hoodie, sliding the hood back as well as loosening his collar, as he took a seat against the wall. Taking a deep breath, Jaune loosened up and shifted his posture into a comfortable position, easily melding into the wall. Jaune's eyes wander amongst the stars, no particular thought in mind, just letting himself get immersed in the surroundings. His eyes bounced from star to star, mindlessly connecting the dots to create an incomprehensive portrait. His eyes continued to travel across the night sky until eventually landing on the shattered moon of Remant. At this time the moon had rotated to hide the moon face that was in shambles, instead the impeccable surface gave enough illumination that one could easily traverse Beacon without the need of street lamps, faunas or not.

The sight of the moon brought back thoughts of the young Arc's namesake and with it, thoughts of self-loathing. Jaune scrunched up tighter at the thought of what his family could possibly be doing right now; while he was out here alone at Beacon, his entire family likely got everyone together and are currently celebrating the new year. As much as it hurt him to not be with his family this time of year, he had made a vow to himself that he wouldn't return until he had proven himself worthy of the Arc lineage.

What a whole lotta good that did him, now he's here freezing his butt off and the concrete roof is chaffing against his backside – suddenly the night didn't feel so welcoming.

Pulling up his hood, Jaune rested his forehead against his knees, wishing their was some sort of distraction that would alleviate the thoughts that commonly plagued his mind when he had excess time to ponder.

"Jaune?"

Jaune snapped his head towards the entrance of the roof, locking eyes with Ruby who was dressed in a onesie that had been sent by her father. While Jaune had been startled by Ruby's sudden voice, Ruby also flinched at Jaune's immediate attention. Jaune blankly stared, as if not looking at Ruby but looking through her. Ruby fidgeted under his gaze before speaking.

"You, uhh left the door open..."

At her voice, Jaune blinked, his eyes regaining focus. "Oh...you should...probably close it..."

"Uh yeah." Complying with his request, Ruby pushed the door close and turned towards Jaune. The door closed with a loud slam, easily causing the two teens to jump at the noise. Ruby eyed Jaune with an uncertainty that lingered behind her eyes, eventually conceding to the awkwardness and took a seat next to the boy.

"...I just wanted to let you know...I don't think Professor Goodwitch would be pleased if she came back and suddenly Beacon's heating bill skyrocketed."

The image of a flustered Goodwitch caused the two teens to gave a hearty chuckle which eventually died down, seemingly swallowed up by the hushed darkness. Ruby glanced at Jaune who had already turned back to his inner musings. Her eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated the best way to approach the situation.

"...You're thinking about you're family...right?"

Jaune's eyes momentarily widened at her statement and then he gave a grunt of acknowledgment. His lack of commenting was something Ruby had grown accustomed to whenever the subject of his family arose. While Ruby couldn't exactly empathize with him, she was no stranger to familial troubles. She knew that at times like these, it wasn't always best to confront the issue head on but instead to provide support.

Ruby chewed at her lower-lip until she scooched closer to Jaune, taking extra care not to tear up her onesie in the process, and placed a helpful hand on his shoulder. She could already feel the boy relaxing at her touch and she noticed that the turmoil that raged behind his eyes had lessened.

Jaune took a deep breath before speaking."Ruby...I-" The words caught up in his throat. Jaune spent several moments attempting to voice his thoughts as his mouth flapped open and closed akin to a fish. "-I _really_ appreciate that you chose to stay at Beacon in order to keep me company..."

Jaune had several more thoughts that ate away at his mind but he learned to not be so self-deprecating at all of his actions. Both he and Ruby know that he feels guilty that while all of his other teammates and sister team had gone back to their families for the holidays, he had chosen to stay at Beacon out of fear of facing his family. Initially Ruby and Yang had planned to invite Blake to stay with them for the holidays until Ruby had caught wind of Jaune's predicament. Without a second thought, Ruby had opted to stay with Jaune while Yang and Blake, after much persuasion, were to go to Patch.

However despite that guilt that crushed at his heart, Jaune was also extremely grateful for Ruby's company, without her, he wasn't sure how he'd cope with loneliness.

Ruby perked up at his statement, a mildly abashed look washed over her face.

"Ha ha, that's what friends are for, right?"

Jaune gave a smirk, always the optimistic one.

Looking back towards the moon, Jaune gave a contemplative sigh. "Sometimes, when I look at the moon, I feel like I'm staring at myself."

Ruby tilted her head, curious at his analogy. "How so?"

Jaune collected his thoughts and pondered his reasoning before speaking. "Well I mean...I feel like I'm a fake. I give off no light of my own, I'm just simply using the sun's light as my own. And through this, I hope to gain some semblance of recognition." Jaune gave a short pause and chortled at his unintentional pun, but Ruby continued to listen intently. "On one side, I show everyone that I'm whole, no disfigurements anywhere but then behind that facade is a broken and crumbling child – the truth."

At his extended pause, Ruby used this time to intervene. "But you could see it another way."

Jaune turned toward the girl with confusion written on his face and Ruby took this as hint to continue.

"Without you the world would be in chaos. The moon is what keeps Remnant stable and allows for life to flourish. Even if the you're broken on the inside, it doesn't make anyone appreciate you any less. That's why it's called moonlight. You shouldn't undermine your importance in everyone's life." Ruby finished her little tirade with a small whisper.

" _Even mine..."_

Jaune was bewildered and spent several moments processing what Ruby had just said. At first a small chuckle escaped his lips and then he started guffawing. Ruby's face lit up and she pulled her hood down, while simultaneously headbutting Jaune's shoulder.

"Jauuuune, I just gave a speech and this is how you react."

At the tone of Ruby's whining, Jaune could only laugh louder until he started coughing. Ruby watched with pout as Jaune coughed up a storm while also trying to keep himself from laughing any further.

"That's what you get for laughing at me." Ruby tried to give one last dig to Jaune at his reaction but even she couldn't hold back a small smile – at least he was smiling now.

Collecting himself, Jaune took a deep breath. "...thanks Ruby, for everything."

Ruby's smile widened as the happiness became infectious. "You're welcome, Vomit Boy."

Jaune snorted at the nickname but he didn't come up with a snarky come back. Instead he adjusted his himself and Ruby followed suit; eventually the two were leaned up against each other, molding with one another and basking the other's warmth, the cold not longer a discomfort.

A thought popped up in Jaune's head and he fished out his scroll. On the scroll displayed 12:00AM.

"Happy New Year Ruby, I'm grateful to have someone like you as a friend."

"Happy New Year to you too Jaune." Ruby replied with an ever present smile on her face. But unbeknownst to Jaune, a thought lingered in her head.

 _We're Just friends...right?_


End file.
